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Handbook How to
Youth Squad Handbook How To 'Why Choose your Department?' The first page of your handbook should give a brief history of your department; including any specific or significant awards or accomplishments. This section should also include when the department was established and a brief description of daily operations. A subsection to this page should be "Mission and Values" where you would include the departments mission statement, the core/department values and the vision you have for you youth program. The last subsection should be what your departments "Commitment to the Community" is. For Example: Medford Volunteer Ambulance History *Date Established *Awards/ special recognition *Daily operations *Missions and Values *Misstion Statement *Core Values *Commitment to the Community *Vision for the program 'Program Introduction and Requirements' The introduction should describe the program. It should state that there will be strict rules that must be followed, and state that there will be consequences for any rule broken. You may want to also include in this section some of the activities the members may take part in such as a CPR certification class. Requirements that should be discussed and listed are age, grades that must be maintained in school, attendance to membership meetings, attendance to trainings, etc. For Example: Introduction *Description of Program *Discuss Rules and Consequences *Events and Trainings Requirements *Age *School Grades *Membership Meetings *Trainings *Specific Classes (OSHA, CPR, etc.) 'Program Rules and Regulation and Code of Conduct' The program rules and regulation and code of conduct should be similar to that already in place but should be modified to specific guidelines of the youth squad. The code of conduct shoud include things such as; abdiding by all standards of operations, conducting yourself in a professional manner, demonstrate honesty, fairness and integrity, refrain from using foul language, obey the chain of command, etc. Rules and regulations may include; Meeting attendance, members must complete certain classes (oreintation, OSHA, CPR, etc), members must not be unsupervised at any event of station building, members must sign in and out, etc. These rules and regulations and code of conduct must be specific to your department and should not be exactly from another department. For Example: Code of Conduct (Sample) *Abide by all of the Standard Operating Procedures and all other rules and regulations of Medford Volunteer Ambulance Co., as well as those of the Youth Squad membership program *Conduct yourself in a professional and courteous manner that will relfect well upon you and the entire department *Demonstrate honesty, fairness and integrity *Treat all people with courtesy and respect Rules and Regulation (Sample) *The EMS youth squad shall abide by all federal, state and departmental rules and regulations *All members shall meet the minimum standards and must provide at least 2 references which will be checked *Youth squad members should attend youth squad meetings as scheduled but also should attend regular agency membership meetings *Youth squad members should not be at the station unsupervised, and in the even or a situation in which they may be the youth member should confine themselves to the general membership area within the station 'Driving of Personal Vehicles and Hours of Operations for Youth Members' If your department decides they are going to allow there youth members to do ride alongs on the ambulances, then this is an important section to include in your handbook. Rules you may want to consider for driving personal vehicles are not allowing members to go directly to the scence, not allowing members to have colored lights, and they must obey all traffic laws. Youth Members hours of operations should be specific to the school week by not allowing over a certain amount of hours while school is in session. Youth members must also ride with one duty crew and make sure there is a crew chief and crew that is accepting of your riding. BE AWARE YOU SHOULD HAVE LIABILTY WAVIERS/ OR INSURANCE ON YOUTH MEMBERS IF DRIVING PERSONAL VEHICLES IS ALLOWED! For Example: Driving of Personal Vehicles (Sample) *Under no circumstances are youth members to go directly to the scene *Under no circumstances are youth members to use colored lights *If all ambulance have responded prior to your arrival, you must standby at the statin and wait until the vehicle returned from the call to assist in clean-up and restocking *All speed limits and traffic laws are to be strictly followed while responding to the station Hours of Operations (Sample) *All hours for duty crew may vary based on parental or guardian approval *Any activity time on a duty crew must occur between 0800 un 2200 and day of the week *There is no activity or duty crew time while school is in session *Maximum hours during school days *Maximum hours on saturday and/or sunday *Maximum hours on school holidays/ school breaks 'Responding to Calls on an Ambulance' If youth members are allowed to ride on ambulance you should put into place guidelines they must follow in order to ride. Such as an orientation, they must be schedules and they cannot just show up unexpected, must wear a seatbelt, etc. Some rules should be specific to the call such as reflective vests at a motor vehicle accident scene. For Example: Responding to Calls on an Ambulance (Sample) *Youth members must complete an oreintation, and CPR and first aid training *Youth members must be scheduled and in uniform *Youth members much have the proper PPE and equipment *Youth members cannot ride in the front of the ambulance and should ALWAYS be in a seat belt *Youth members will take instructions from the paramedic or EMT on the call *Youth members must be in a reflective vest at a motor vehicle accident and should never enter a car involved in a motor vehicle accident 'Permitted Activited, Meetings and Trainings' Activites and trainings should always be scheduled in order to keep youth members interested these trainings can vary from youth member only to an open trainings for the whole department. Something should always be planned ahead of time for meetings. Meetings should include a specific cirriculum that should teach the youth members how to assist on calls and simple first aid. Meetings could also include EMS news, whats new in EMS, and training on certain piece of equipment. For Example: Permitted Activities (Sample) *EMS Trainings *Safety Trainings *Provide rehab to firefighters *Fundraising activities *All / Any activities, trainings, or EMS operation sanctioned by the department Meetings *First Aid Training *Call Assistance *Equipment training *EMS News 'Uniforms' Each youth member should obtain a uniform in which they should wear to every meeting, training, duty crew, or other EMS related functions, but should never be worn for leisure activities or to school. Uniforms should be dessigned and be specific to the youth squad, with a clear statement/ patch saying "Youth Squad". Each member should have an ID badge, and the uniform should be worn correctly and neatly. Upon termination of the program uniforms should be returned in there completion back to the department. This handbook should be informative to the youth member as well as their parent or guardian. It should lay out all the basic guidelines of the program and the recognition the youth members can recive upon completion of certain trainings. It should also give and state the incentives a youth member will recieve for being a part of the youth squad program.